THE SMELTS 
219 
A list of publications consulted and quoted is appended In the text both direct 
and indirect quotations are credited to the author, when known, or to the publica- 
tion in which the article quoted appears. Such credit references are indicated by 
the authority and the year of publication in parenthesis, which signifies that the full 
literary reference is to be found in the bibliography. If more than one publication 
by the same author appears in the same year, the second, third, or fourth are respec- 
tively indicated by a, &, c, etc., both in parenthesis and in the list of references. 
While it is recognized that the discussions embodied in this document are 
incomplete and otherwise defective, it is hoped that those facts will stimulate effort 
directed toward the attainment of greatly needed further knowledge, and more inten- 
sive and intelligent measures and action toward the conservation of the fishery. 
THE SMELT FAMILY 
“ Second cousin to the grayling and trout, and one of the neatest, most graceful, and delicate of all 
our food fishes, is that universal favorite, the smelt.” Samuels ( 1904) 
The smelts, with closely related forms, compose a group of fishes of wide geo- 
graphical distribution in nothern latitudes. Their recorded distribution shows them 
inhabiting both coasts of the North Atlantic, both North Pacific and both Arctic 
coasts, or their coastal fresh waters, thus forming an irregular, interrupted, distribu- 
tional belt that encircles the Northern Hemisphere. 
Concerning most of these forms very little is known; and it was not until in 
comparatively recent years that any of them received any scientific attention beyond 
that of description of species and attempts at classification, which for the most part 
were based upon small numbers of museum specimens preserved in alcohol. 
The full significance of these little fishes in the “scheme of nature” has not been 
recognized, although some of them for a long time have been locally of considerable 
commercial importance both directly and indirectly — directly as food for man and 
indirectly as natural food supply for fishes of greater commercial importance. In 
fact, in some localities the success of the cod fishery depends upon the seasonal pres- 
ence of one of these forms — the capelin. While this is known to be true in connec- 
tion with this particular species, it is not known how much the fishery for some other 
fishes of great commercial value may depend upon one or another of these little fishes. 
For a time these fishes were regarded as members of the same family that 
included the salmon, trout, grayling, and whitefishes, but recently it has been shown 
that by virtue of certain distinctive structural characters they constitute a family 
group by themselves. While smelts are denominated as salmonoid (salmon like), 
structurally they are somewhat remote in relationship to the salmon or other mem- 
bers of the salmon family. 
Wherever any species of these fishes occur they abound, or once abounded. 
E. A. Samuels once wrote (1904) : 
Some idea of their abundance at this period [spawing time] may be had when I state that they 
are or were netted by the hundreds of barrels full and used by the farmers on the bay shore for 
manure; this was the case a number of years ago, but I believe the practice of using them in this 
manner has been abandoned for the more profitable one of packing them in cases and shipping 
them to the great markets of the country. This business has become a large, important and 
lucrative one; many packing stations having sprung up on the coast of Maine and the Maritime 
Provinces. 
